Monday, December 26, 2011

It’s been a long time since I’ve actually put out a complete blog. I have spent a lot of time resorting to Tweets and Facebook updates. However, as we wrap up 2011, I want to discuss the coming election year and the importance of conservatives uniting and standing on principles.

In 2011, the GOP establishment continued to miss the point of the 2010 elections and what the Tea Party and conservative mandate meant. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell have both been incredible let-downs in leadership. I have felt betrayed and disappointed in the Republican Party in 2011. If we want a chance at real change in 2012, some attitudes will need to change, some spines will need to stiffen, and some leaders will need to stand up.

The debt ceiling debacle was a colossal failure. There is no way the government collapses if the ceiling is hit. Perhaps some services will need to be temporarily closed, but there is a monthly income of approximately $392 BILLION. The President of the United States and the US Treasury Department have sole discretion over how monies are spent should there be an uncovered portion of the budget and Congress has not given authorization for additional borrowing. Therefore, boys and girls, had the GOP stood strong and fought to the bitter end for real spending cuts, not gotten it, and the debt ceiling had been reached, Obama and his Treasury guru Timothy Geithner would have to decide how to spend the $392 BILLION. So, if they opted not to send Social Security checks or checks to the military, it would have been Obama’s responsibility and choice to do that. Yet, instead of getting that message, you know, the TRUTH out, the GOP buckled. For some reason, Boehner and the GOP establishment just don’t get it. They still think giving in to the left will somehow garner favor and fairness from the mainstream media and Obama himself. Not going to happen.

The GOP is still dying for a leader who will step up and lead and not buckle to pressure. The stakes are too high now for us to continue to be weak in the knees. ObamaCare will, in fact, destroy what’s left of our healthcare system. Health Care needs REAL reform, and not a bunch of bureaucracy that will put government between people who need care and the doctors they want to see. ObamaCare is making it harder for insurance companies to be viable. It is designed to force insurance companies out of business, thus forcing a need for a “public” system. Which is just an awesome idea. Look how well the government can deliver mail on time, or how profitable Amtrak has become, or how well the VA system meets the health needs of all veterans. The government cannot get FEMA trailers into New Orleans for weeks after a hurricane they knew about 6 days ahead of time. Yet we want them to take over health care and life and death decisions? Really?

Health Care needs reform. Lawyers have too much power and influence the cost of health care more than anything else. Yet, because most of the Democratic Party is run by lawyers, no one dared address lawsuit abuse in the health care bill. The GOP needs to fight and make the repeal of this travesty the number one priority on January 20, 2013. Second priority is the repeal of Dodd-Frank. Third priority is to open the way for the pipeline from Canada to the gulf. Getting those three priorities accomplished would do wonders for the economy. Here’s how…Repealing ObamaCare will release billions of dollars in bureaucracy off the backs of businesses, big and small. Even if the company tries to save some money by dropping coverage and paying the fine, they would still be paying people to deal with the red tape and bureaucracy to pay those fines. Now, without that burden, they could afford to recruit and retain the best people for their company. With the best people performing and content with their jobs, their productivity improves, the company improves, and more jobs can be created. Not to mention the thousands of people who work for insurance companies whose jobs would really be saved (as opposed to the fictitious saved or created jobs we keep hearing about.).

Dodd-Frank is terrible law. It makes banking, seeking loans, and anything financial excruciatingly painful, especially if you are a small business. Dodd-Frank is killing jobs on a daily basis. Banks are laying people off in 2011 to get ready for policies within Dodd-Frank that take effect over the next two years. Dodd-Frank is bad law, not to mention it’s complete lack of reform to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (of course having nothing to do with those two failed institutions undying and exorbitant financial backing of Democrat candidates, particularly Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, and Barack Obama). The repeal of Dodd-Frank will alleviate the immense pressure being brought to bear on the business community. If it’s easier to operate, it’s easier to produce, it’s easier to create profit, and then it’s easier to grow and hire.

President Obama is holding 20,000, jobs hostage until after the 2012 elections. The Keystone pipeline, by itself, would create a buzz in the American economy. This pipeline would run from Canada to Texas. It would create a minimum of 20,000 jobs. It would lead to a lessening of America’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil. American construction technology would make it one of the safest pipelines in the world. We have a so many pipelines in the harsh conditions of Alaska. Does anyone know the last time one of them burst? Wouldn’t building in the mid-west be far less risky? Yet, despite already recorded and reported environmental studies giving the pipeline the O.K., Obama is giving in to environmentalist wackos and holding these jobs and economic buzz hostage for political reasons.

So, when a Republican is sworn in on January 20, 2013, authorizing the pipeline would open the proverbial floodgates to some economic improvement in the nation. On Monday, July 28, 2008, George W. Bush announced the lifting of the executive moratorium on the harvesting of oil shale in the western US. That day…THAT DAY…gas prices dropped. Gas prices dropped all the way through the election. Gas was $1.85 when Obama was sworn in on January 20, 2009. $1.85. Just think how fast prices would drop again with the announcement that we’re going to give ourselves access to more Canadian oil that’s cheaper.

Think…how much better would your holidays have been if you were paying under $2/gallon at the pump?

As I look at the field of GOP Candidates, I am slightly disappointed. Instead of running against Obama, they have taken to tearing each other down. I have not chosen a candidate out of the remaining field. My pick was Herman Cain. However, the hatred of a black conservative was too much for him to put his family through. And that is a shame. Lies and baseless accusations can prevent a black conservative from running for office. Had Cain been a liberal, the women making the accusations would have been vilified as racists and had their worst, darkest secrets exposed on the mainstream media.

However, out of the field remaining, I wish Rick Santorum would gain more traction. Romney and Gingrich leave me slightly uneasy. Their records suggest they are prone to some of the problems I have with Boehner and McConnell in the Congress. They seem vulnerable to giving in and getting weak-kneed when pressured by the media and liberals in Washington. Michelle Bachmann is great in the House, but she does not have the strength or delivery in presentation to defeat Obama. Ron Paul is a crazy, hapless hack. When he is lucid, he makes some sense on domestic economic issues. Foreign policy, however, is his weakness and, if elected to the White House, would spark the third world war, while we sit at home and wait for the evil of the world to come calling. As for Huntsman, his daughters are very pretty, but that’s the only thing he’s brought worthwhile to the campaign. That being said, I do not want this guy anywhere near the GOP Convention next fall. He is NOT conservative. He is barely Republican.

So, of the field, my endorsement at this time goes to Santorum. He is the real conservative leader in the pack, no matter how much Charles Krauthammer or the other pundits in conservative media want to bury him and pretend he’s not a candidate. However, because, for whatever reason, he is not getting the traction he needs, I think thanks in no small part to Fox News burying everyone BUT Romney and Gingrich, I will probably go with writing in Gingrich on my Virginia ballot.

Nonetheless, whoever gets the GOP nomination will need to step up and lead. He or she will need to absorb the slings and arrows from the left. He or she will have to stick to their principles. If they stand up, run against Obama and his failed policies, hammer home the idea that Obama had all three branches of government under his control until January 2011, when the GOP took the House (thus getting through everything he really wanted to), and showing how America is worse off than it was in 2008, we can win a Republican Supermajority and get rid of ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank, and clear the way for the Keystone pipeline. Those three agenda items would set the foundation for a revived economy…if only the GOP has the intestinal fortitude to do it.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

If President Barack Obama truly wants America to rebound and jobless Americans to find work, then I have the solution that will put our country on an upward slope.

First step: Energy.We address the energy crisis with real passion and fervor. We announce that the continental shelves in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic coast are open for drilling. Each company that applies to drill in those areas will be required to put up $1 billion into a lock-box, rainy-day fund that will act as an insurance policy against any oil leaks. The funds will be kept in a savings account, earning interest, and any company that halts drilling will be allowed to cash out of the fund.

Second, announce the immediate construction of oil refineries in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. As the new oil refineries go up, we will also add 25% more state-of-the-art nuclear power plants, a number of which will be located in or near California and in or near New York City.

These two steps will IMMEDIATELY cause a massive drop in oil prices. On Monday, July 28, 2008, George W. Bush announced an end to the Executive Moratorium on harvesting the oil shales in the in the western US. Within, literally, hours, oil prices dropped, causing a sudden drop in gas prices as well. The sheer announcement of a new direction in American energy policy will cause OPEC to panic and drop rates to keep our business. Instead, we will harvest our own resources and stop relying on OPEC, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other countries in volatile situations.

With energy costs lower, people will have more money to purchase goods and services, and also pay off debts (including their own mortgages!). With more money in their pockets, there will be more vacations, more vehicle upgrades, more clothes, more consumerism.

So, a byproduct will be more need for employees to serve the new influx of people coming in to businesses. Thus, taking those people off the unemployment rolls, thereby taking the burden off the taxpayer for these people to survive. More people working, more people paying taxes, and suddenly we can stop borrowing money.

Oh, and let's not forget the immediate jobs coming from the construction and operation of the refineries and power plants. (More people working and paying taxes).

Second: Government SpendingThere are so many things the government has it's fingers in, it is hard to start tackling the huge, over-reaching federal government. So, let's start with unemployment and Welfare assistance.

Unemployment rules should include clauses requiring drug testing and requiring legitimate evidence of job searching. For instance, if someone on unemployment can be shown to have intentionally flunked an interview or otherwise inhibit their own employment opportunities, then they will forfeit their benefits permanently and not be eligible for 3 years. This will force people to take job-seeking seriously instead of taking for granted an unending government paycheck for staying at home. There are many stories, a couple of which I've seen in person, of people on unemployment tanking an interview so they would not get hired and stay on paid vacation. There are some jobs out there, perhaps not the glorious jobs once available, but a working person is much more valuable to society than a person sitting at home getting a check.

In addition, if there is a problem finding work in an area after 3 months, then a person must spend 30 hours a week doing legitimate volunteer work in their community to earn their check. Schools need help, churches need help, homeless need help, and many others all over the country need some attention. And, if you're going to get a check courtesy of taxpayers, you need to serve your community. The contributions will be immeasurable in the communities with our tax dollars not just going into an endless, wasteful pit.

These suggestions will deter abuse of the unemployment system and encourage people to get off as quickly as possible.

Welfare recipients will be required to pass drug tests prior to receiving the first dime in benefits. Once every three months, a social worker will administer another drug test at a random time during normal business hours.

The selling of food stamp cards will be equivalent to credit card fraud. The maximum number of children covered will be 4 at any one time. And, like with unemployment, if, after 3 months there is no change in situation (as in no job secured), Welfare recipients will be required to volunteer 30 hours per week and make a contribution to bettering the communities in which they live. This will be required of all able-bodied adults in a home. Obviously, enrolled students that have not yet graduated high school will be exempt.

By encouraging people to get themselves and their families off the taxpayers' payrolls, the tax base will grow, jobs will be taken, and more money will be infused into the economy.

Third: Stop Borrowing money.Ronald Reagan said,(paraphrasing), "The federal government should not try to find the money they need, but instead find a need for the money they have." Instead of borrowing money to bail out failing businesses, failing industries crippled by over-powering unions, and people who cannot afford to pay for the homes they are in, it is time to let people to actually take and accept responsibility for their choices. There is nothing wrong with renting or living in smaller houses. There is nothing wrong with living without the great luxuries of life. There is something wrong with taking my earned money to bail out failures.

It's time the federal and state governments stop spending and start saving. When our interest payments on our loans are more than many countries' entire economies, there is something grotesquely wrong.

If the public employee unions won't budge and think that union members are somehow exempt from struggling in tough times. and should not see higher premiums in their insurance and retirement, then perhaps it's time to replace all union employees with non-union so we can stop over-extending our budgets to pay for unreasonable, lavish benefits for public employees.

These are some lofty ideas to fix our economy, but I guarantee they will work. Just the sheer announcement of the energy idea would be a shot of adrenaline into our economy.

So, why is our government more concerned with getting involved in a state dispute with the state union and not so much with the repair of our national economy?

About Me...And This Blog Site...

My name is David A. Ebert, the oldest of two siblings produced by my parents, Leah and David G. Ebert. We are all Republicans, but I take it a toke or two...well, closer to 10 tokes...further than my parents,

I am very much a Right Wing Conservative. I am a Reagan Conservative. I believe Americans, in general, are smarter than elected officials in Washington, DC. We should be more in charge than the Government.

We, as individuals and families, should have more responsibility over our own, hard-earned money and not send more and more and more taxes to the out-of-touch politicians. I believe the government is there to serve us, and not us to serve them.

I believe in America's greatness and that, overall, we are the most generous, forgiving, intelligent, and genuinely decent country in the world. I also believe that we are the most powerful nation in the history of the world, but do not use that power to hold over the collective heads of other nations.

I believe that low taxes, intelligent spending of those tax revenues, strong initiatives on defense and education, and small government influence on the day-to-day lives of Americans are some of the most important ideals related to how the US should be operated.I believe in the freedoms granted by the US Constitution. I believe that judges should uphold and interpret the laws as written in the US Constitution, and not refer to any foreign legislation to make their historic decisions.

I believe the First Amendment, as well as the entire Bill of Rights, are the most important laws this world has ever seen.

I believe abortion is WRONG. I believe that homosexuality is WRONG. I believe that allowing anyone to publicly debate the possibility of lowering the age of consent, especially for young boys to consent to older men, is a tragedy of morality. I believe that organizations like NAMBLA should be publicly shunned and not given a platform to spew their harmful and dangerous rhetoric.

I believe there is a sad lacking in the ability of our nation to appreciate and accept self responsibility. We, as a nation, blame daddy, racism, sexism, classism, mommy, the mean teacher, the mean little league coach, the loud mouthed uncle, the financial status of the neighborhood in which we grew up in, and a million and one other reasons why we do not succeed. How often do we, as a nation, take the blame for our own mistakes? How often do you hear someone accept responsibility for their own mistakes? How often?

I am conservative. I am worried about the future of the country and the planet, especially if O-BOMB-A or Billary Clinton make it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I will start posting my fears, my hopes, my ideas as they all relate to news and politics. I hope to open some eyes and change some opinions with my writings. Most of all, I hope you will read my words and be inspired to find the truth...and not rely on Chris Matthews or Keith Olberman or Katie Couric or Matt Lauer for your opinions. I hope you will break the mold and do something unreal...unexpected...do something that O-BOMB-A and Billary are afraid of you doing...

Briefly About Me...

-2004 Graduate of Bluefield (VA) College
-1999 Graduate of Pocahontas High School
-Currently work as a House Parent in a children's group home
-Part-time professional wrestler
-Born in Chicago, huge Cubs, Bulls, and Bears supporter
-Huge Virginia Tech fan